.38-40 Winchester
.38-40 Winchester | ||||||||
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Type | Rifle, revolver | |||||||
Place of origin | United States | |||||||
Production history | ||||||||
Designer | Winchester Repeating Arms Company | |||||||
Produced | 1874–1937 (original production) 1993–present (current production)[1] | |||||||
Specifications | ||||||||
Parent case | .44-40 Winchester | |||||||
Case type | Rimmed, bottleneck | |||||||
Bullet diameter | .4005 in (10.17 mm) | |||||||
Land diameter | .3941 in (10.01 mm) | |||||||
Neck diameter | .4167 in (10.58 mm) | |||||||
Shoulder diameter | .4543 in (11.54 mm) | |||||||
Base diameter | .4695 in (11.93 mm) | |||||||
Rim diameter | .525 in (13.3 mm) | |||||||
Rim thickness | .065 in (1.7 mm) | |||||||
Case length | 1.305 in (33.1 mm) | |||||||
Overall length | 1.59 in (40 mm) | |||||||
Maximum CUP | 14,000[2] CUP | |||||||
Ballistic performance | ||||||||
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Source(s): Cartridges of the World, 11th ed [3] |
The .38-40 Winchester (10.17x33mmR) is actually a .40 caliber (10 mm) cartridge shooting .401 in (10.2 mm) caliber bullets. The cartridge was introduced by Winchester in 1874 and is derived from their .44-40 Winchester. This cartridge was introduced for rifles, but in its reintroduction for cowboy action shooting it has seen some popularity as a revolver cartridge. It is not particularly well suited to hunting larger game, but it was popular when it was introduced, along with the previous .44-40 Winchester, for deer hunting. It can be used successfully on smaller game animals, and for self-defense. Current loadings are intended for revolvers.[3]
Design and history
[edit]It is unclear why this cartridge was introduced, as it is very similar to the .44-40 from which it was derived. It has approximately 110 ft⋅lbf (150 J) less muzzle energy, and has a muzzle velocity about 110 ft/s (34 m/s) less than the .44-40. The bullet differs by only .026 inches in bullet diameter and 20 grains (1.3 g) in standard bullet weight from the original .44-40. The goal may have been to reduce recoil while maintaining a similar bullet sectional density.[4] One unusual design element of this cartridge is that factory ammunition was loaded with a different case profile than the standard chamber for this cartridge, factory ammunition having a much longer neck than the standard chamber. Most reloading dies are designed to size fired brass to the chamber specification rather than that of the original factory ammunition case profile.[5]
The renewed interest in this caliber can be explained by the increasing popularity of cowboy action shooting[5] and metallic silhouette shooting. Several single-action revolvers have recently been chambered for this cartridge, including the Ruger Vaquero. Most modern reloading data for this cartridge is found in the handgun section of reloading manuals.
Performance
[edit]Though introduced as an "all-around" cartridge, traditional sources suggest the .38–40 performs inadequately on deer.[5] Ballistically, commercial 'cowboy' loads are similar to the much newer .40 S&W, sharing the same bullet diameter, bullet weight, and similar velocity.[6] A limited number of hunting loads are available commercially, which produce about 25% more muzzle energy than the more common target ammunition.[7]
Dimensions
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/24/38-40_Winchester_dimensions_sketch.jpg/500px-38-40_Winchester_dimensions_sketch.jpg)
Synonyms
[edit]- .38-40
- .38-40 WCF
- .38 CFW
- .38 WCF
See also
[edit]- 10 mm caliber
- .40 S&W
- 10mm Auto
- .41 Action Express
- List of cartridges by caliber
- Table of handgun and rifle cartridges
References
[edit]- ^ Association, N. R. (n.d.). The .38-40 winchester center fire: History & performance9. An Official Journal Of The NRA. Retrieved May 3, 2023, from https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/the-38-40-winchester-center-fire-history-performance/
- ^ Max chamber pressure - saami specs. Return to the index to LASC. (n.d.). Retrieved May 1, 2023, from http://www.lasc.us/SAAMIMaxPressure.htm
- ^ a b Barnes, Frank C. (2006) [1965]. Skinner, Stan (ed.). Cartridges of the World (11th ed.). Iola, WI, USA: Gun Digest Books. p. 92. ISBN 0-89689-297-2.
- ^ Waters, Ken (1990) [1980]. Pet Loads, volume 2 (5th ed.). Prescott, AZ, USA: Wolfe Publishing. pp. 443–447. ISBN 0-935632-33-6.
- ^ a b c Jones, Allan, ed. (1998). Speer Reloading Manual (13th ed.). Lewiston, ID, USA: Blount, Inc. pp. 394–400, 542–542.
- ^ "Ten-X Cowboy Ammo 38-40 WCF 180 Grain Lead Round Nose Flat Point Box". MidwayUSA. Archived from the original on 7 November 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2022.
- ^ [1] Archived 2009-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, Midway 38–40 Winchester Super-X.
External links
[edit]![](http://178.128.105.246/content-http-upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- 38 WCF | 38-40 caliber
- Reloading .38 WCF for Rifles
- The .38-40 Winchester (.38 WCF)
- The .38-40 - The ‘Frontier Forty’ — A sixgun/levergun natural
- Cartridge Hall of Fame - 38-40 Winchester - MidwayUSA on YouTube
- current 2019 Feb approved saami cartridge specifications #4, CENTER FIRE RIFLE, 2015/12/14 PDF, page 136 (148)